The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club was founded in 1963 to provide a forum for the interchange of idea and opinions between professionals in the various news and public relations media, to provide an organization in which to share fellowship, to promote professional competence and knowledge, to encourage students entering journalism by offering scholarships, and to increase public knowledge of the media though workshops and other exchanges of information.
Activities include a professional awards competition and banquet, social gatherings and workshops, fund-raising activities incorporating programs of interest to the membership, the annual picnic, and other events as scheduled by the Board of Directors.
Officers include President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, elected Directors, and the Immediate Past President. An attorney, as well as a financial advisor, assist the board and working committee chairs.
The club is a California nonprofit corporation that operates according to an approved set of by-laws and collects annual dues from its members to maintain the organization.
Active membership is open to all working and retired members of the press, radio and television news media, Internet media, and to public relations professionals.
Associate membership is open to those individuals with a community of interest with other members, who are judged by the directors to be continuing news sources.
Student membership is open to those who have declared majors in journalism or communications and are enrolled in at least nine units of study at an accredited college or university on the San Francisco Peninsula or in the South Bay. No more than 10 percent of the total membership shall be students.
Honorary membership is awarded by the directors as special recognition and must be renewed by majority vote of the board every year. Associate, student, and honorary members do not have voting privileges.
An important activity of the club is the Awards Banquet, which includes presentation of scholarships to high school and college journalism students, and professional journalism awards to winners of mailed-in entries judged by press clubs outside the Bay Area.
Active membership in the club is considered on the basis of professionalism. A person must earn or have earned a major source of his or her income, or spend or have spent a major portion of his of her working time, in one of the journalistic professions.
In 2007, the club changed its name from the Peninsula Press Club to the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club. The change came after the decision by the San Francisco Press club to disband. The change came at a time when a growing number of journalists from beyond the Peninsula were joining the club. As of 2007, the club defined its service area to include the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francsico, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Sonoma. (Originally posted July 7, 2004; updated July 18, 2007)
In 2017, the club changed its name again to the San Francisco Press Club.